Resolutions

Whereas all municipalities in Saskatchewan must adhere to The Tax Enforcement Act to protect the municipality’s interest in land within their jurisdiction and to collect arrears taxes; and

Whereas The Tax Enforcement Act is administratively onerous, expensive and time-consuming, making it so that often municipalities choose to retain TAXervice or another professional firm to undertake the legislatively required administrative steps to recover property taxes; and

Whereas the fees for such professional services are then charged back onto the property taxes and written off if the property is sold for a large loss, sometimes forcing the municipality into a deficit; and

Whereas in the Province of British Columbia, all municipalities have the authority under the Community Charter and Section 645 of The Local Government Act to conduct a public auction in Council’s Chambers of each parcel of land on which taxes are delinquent at 10:00 a.m. on the last Monday of September; and

Whereas the benefits of these legislative powers are that it is efficient, as it is handled internally, and affordable, as only one advertisement is required in a local newspaper; and

Whereas the practice is predictable, as all buyers across the entire province know that if they wish to purchase any land going up for tax sale it will be available for sale on the last Monday of September, so no additional marketing is required.

Therefore be it resolved that SUMA advocate the Government of Saskatchewan to amend Saskatchewan’s municipal acts to align with British Columbia’s Local Government Act and give municipalities the power to conduct their own annual tax sale on the last Monday of September each year.

Acts affected: The Municipalities Act; The Cities Act; The Northern Municipalities Act, 2010

Sectors/Regions affected: ALL